Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world.

This week, audiences will get to watch the world premiere recording of a Rossini work as well as listen to two solo recitals. They will also get a chance to rediscover a Wagner Ring Cycle, which has been remastered. Here is a look at this week’s new releases.

György Kurtág’s Kafka Fragments

Avie Records releases Susan Narucki’s long-awaited recording of György Kurtág’s Kafka Fragments, in which she is joined by the great violinist and new music specialist Curtis Macomber.

Narucki said, “Kafka Fragments has been one of the great musical loves of my life, and I hope that the recording will give listeners an idea of some of the richness in this astonishing work.”

Sky of my Heart

Vocal ensemble New York Polyphony releases its tenth commercial album, “Sky of my Heart,” on BIS Records. The album sees the ensemble revisit key works from its history, incorporating New York Polyphony commissions and collaborations along with revered works from the Early Music repertoire. Featuring guest performances by LeStrange Viols, the expansive recording encompasses selections from Renaissance composers William Byrd and Orlando Gibbons through 20th and 21st century works by Ivan Moody, John Tavener, Becky McGlade, Akemi Naito, Paul Moravec, Andrew Smith, and Nico Muhly.

L’extase

Pentatone releases mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená and pianist Mitsuko Uchida new album which showcases French songs by Debussy and Messiaen, whose works are rich in color, sensuality, and exoticism.

Mosaic

Soprano Angela M. Brown turns her attention to songs of personal introspection on the 20th Anniversary re-release of MOSAIC from Albany Records. The musical collaboration of Brown, pianist Joseph Joubert, and guitarist Tyron Cooper reveals their love of the African-American spiritual and their desire to communicate the gamut of human emotions through these songs that speak to personal trial, joy, and faith. Made possible by Morning Brown and the Kala Sisters Fund, this album is truly a mosaic of the soul’s most inner ponderings and yearnings.

Horizons – French Melodies 

Mezzo-soprano Kitty Whately and pianist Edwige Herchenroder record their first French solo album, featuring world premiere recordings of rarely heard works by talented French women composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This album presents their compelling voices alongside those of their renowned male contemporaries, Debussy and Duparc.

Havergal Brian: Complete Choral Songs, Vol. 1

Toccata Classics releases the latest album featuring the complete choral works by Havergal Brian.

The first of two volumes presents 30 of those choral songs, cast for adult and children’s voices. The British choral specialist Peter Broadbent conducts two of the choirs he founded, the Joyful Company of Singers and Ascolta, with the Finchley Children’s Music Group directed by Grace Rossiter.

Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen Chor & Orchester der Bayreuther Festspiele / Daniel Barenboim

Captured in 1991–92 at the Bayreuth opera house, Daniel Barenboim’s celebrated recording of Wagner’s Ring cycle is re-released on CD.

Christoph Willibald Gluck: Orphée et Euridice

Dynamic releases Maggio Musicale Fiorentino’s production of Gluck’s work. The version recorded is Paris’ 1774 version and stars tenor Juan Francisco Gatell and sopranos Anna Prohaska and Sara Blanch. The production also features Arno Schuitemaker’s Ballet Company, the Orchestra e Coro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, and conductor Daniele Gatti. Pierre Audi directs the production.

Dmitri Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District

Orfeo releases the Wiener Staatsoper’s recording of Shostakovich’s masterpiece featuring a cast that includes Kurt Rydl, Marian Talaba, Angela Denoke, Misha Didyk, and Nadia Krasteva. The Orchester und Chor der Wiener Staatsoper is conducted by Ingo Metzmacher.

Gioachino Rossini: Adina

C Major releases the world premiere recording of Rossini’s rarely performed work from teh Pesaro festival celebrating the composer. Rosetta Cucchi directs the production starring Lisette Oropesa, Vito Priante, Levy Sekgapane, Matteo Macchioni, and DavideGiangregorio. The Coro del Teatro della Fortuna M. Agostini and Orchestra Sinfonica G. Rossini are conducted by Diego Matheuz.